- William Hill has made their first foray into the red hot Colorado sports betting industry.
- William Hill betting kiosks are now located at the Isle Casino and Lady Luck Casino in Black Hawk.
- Online betting from William Hill is expected to launch later this year.
It was only a matter of time before William Hill made an appearance in Colorado’s fast growing sports betting industry. Last Thursday, the sports betting company went live with six betting kiosks in two Black Hawk casinos–the Isle Casino Hotel and Lady Luck Casino. Both properties are owned by Caesars Entertainment, Inc. and formerly by Eldorado Resorts. The two companies completed their $8.58 billion merger last week and the combined enterprise will operate under the Caesars name.
David Grolman, President of Retail Operations – William Hill US is rightfully ‘thrilled’ to be entering the red hot Colorado market:
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to expand our business in the state of Colorado with these new kiosks. Our relationship with Caesars Entertainment allows us to engage with Colorado sports fans in a new and exciting way. With the recent return of professional baseball, we think the timing could not be better.”
Isle Casino Hotel and Lady Luck Casino Black Hawk Senior Vice President and General Manager, Ken Ostempowski, had this to say:
“We are thrilled to bring another amenity our valued guests can enjoy in our newly renovated Casino. Our strategic partnership with William Hill will create an elevated gaming experience that features industry-leading wagering technology and allows us to further our position as Colorado’s premiere location to gamble.”
Both men allude to the partnership that William Hill and Eldorado Resorts codified in the early days of US retail sports betting. Under the terms of the deal, William Hill became ‘Eldorado’s exclusive partner in the provision of digital and land-based sports betting services as well as online gaming’. It wasn’t a huge surprise as William Hill’s partnership with Eldorado in Nevada dates back to 2012. They’ll be taking over the sports betting in the former Caesars properties as part of the recently completed merger.
MOBILE APP FORTHCOMING, NO CURRENT PLANS FOR RETAIL
It’s obvious that William Hill is taking a methodical approach to entering the Colorado market. The splashy intro page on the websites for the Isle Casino Hotel and the Lady Luck Casino clearly specify that both properties will ‘feature kiosks only at this time’. This is the smart way to play it in the socially distanced COVID-19 era. You have to think that they’ll open a retail presence in both properties at some point but my guess is that it won’t be until football season 2021.
Next up for William Hill in Colorado is a mobile app which they’re hoping to launch before NFL season. Their mobile licensing is ‘pending regulatory approval’ but since they’ve already been approved for a retail license this should happen quickly. The Caesars Entertainment 2020 second quarter earnings call is scheduled for August 6, 2020 and while they’ll clearly have a lot to talk about they may give some guidance on the timeframe for the mobile app and possibly their future plans for the Colorado market.
If you’re a Don Best odds feed customer you may have noticed that William Hill’s Colorado numbers have been added to the sportsbook options. As noted in the press release announcing the entry into the state “William Hill will provide localized futures and odds catered specifically for the Colorado market”.
